This invention relates generally to the field of dentistry. More specifically, the present invention relates to a posterior tooth shade guide and a method of selecting characterization for a tooth prosthesis.
Accurate communication between dentists and laboratories that manufacture tooth prostheses has been a subject of continuous concern as technology progresses. When instructing the laboratory to construct a tooth prosthesis, it is desirable to manufacture the prosthesis in such a manner that it is virtually indistinguishable from the surrounding natural teeth.
Many manufacturers of tooth prostheses provide performes samples of multi-color, multi-layer fabricated teeth as references for color. The dentist may communicate to the lab regarding the desired color of the tooth prosthesis utilizing a shade guide having a number of these fabricated teeth for reference. In this regard, the dentist typically holds a sample tooth against the mouth in an attempt to find the closest sample to the natural tooth.
Such dental shade guides typically include a number of anterior tooth-shaped and detailed samples that neither resembled posterior teeth nor have the descriptive details of posterior teeth. These anterior tooth samples are used by the dentists for both anterior and posterior tooth color matching.
The prior shade guides are inadequate for purposes of describing the unique characterizations that posterior teeth have and which are not usually found with anterior teeth. In particular, to manufacture a tooth prosthesis for a posterior tooth, characteristics such as the brown stain, the white stain, and the color of the incisal should be taken into account.
Accordingly, there has been a need for a posterior tooth shade guide and method of selecting characterization for a tooth prosthesis which can simply, yet effectively, facilitate accurate communication of the desired characteristics of a tooth prosthesis from the dentist to the laboratory. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.